This is a list of minerals which have Wikipedia articles.

Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various species. Within a mineral species there may be variation in physical properties or minor amounts of impurities that are recognized by mineralogists or wider society as a mineral variety.

Mineral variety names are listed after the valid minerals for each letter.

For a more complete listing of all mineral names, see List of minerals recognized by the International Mineralogical Association.

A

thumb|[[Amethyst crystals – a purple quartz]]

thumb|[[Apophyllite crystals sitting right beside a cluster of peachy bowtie stilbite]]

thumb|[[Beryl#Aquamarine and maxixe|Aquamarine variety of beryl with tourmaline on orthoclase]]

thumb|[[Arsenopyrite from Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico]]

thumb|[[Aurichalcite needles spraying out within a protected pocket lined by bladed calcite crystals]]

thumb|[[Austinite from the Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Durango, Mexico]]

thumb|[[Ametrine containing amethyst and citrine, from Bolivia]]

thumb|[[Azurite, Burra Mine, South Australia]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Adamantine spar (variety of corundum)
  • Agate (variety of chalcedony and quartz)
  • Alabaster (variety of gypsum)
  • Alexandrite (variety of chrysoberyl)
  • Allingite (synonym of amber)
  • Alum
  • Amazonite (variety of microcline)
  • Amethyst (purple variety of quartz)
  • Ametrine (variety of quartz)
  • Ammolite (organic; also a gemstone)
  • Amosite (asbestiform grunerite)
  • Antozonite (variety of fluorite)
  • Anyolite (metamorphic rock - zoisite, ruby, and hornblende)
  • Aquamarine (light blue variety of beryl)
  • Argentite (high temperature form of acanthite)
  • Asbestos (fibrous serpentine- or amphibole minerals)
  • Auerlite (variety of thorite)
  • Avalite (chromian variety of illite)
  • Aventurine (variety of quartz)

B

thumb|[[Baryte (included by malachite) on malachite, from Shangulowé Mine, Kambove, Central area, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo]]

thumb|Spiky calcite scalenohedra with a coating of whitish [[benstonite on a layer of teal-colored fluorite]]

thumb|Thin tabular [[biotite cluster]]

thumb|[[Brookite from Kharan, Balochistan, Pakistan]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Barbertonite (polytype of stichtite)
  • Bauxite (aluminium ore)
  • Beckerite (natural resin)
  • Bentonite (mixture of montmorillonite and other clays)
  • Bixbite (red gem variety of beryl)
  • Bowenite (variety of antigorite)
  • Brammallite (variety of illite)
  • Brokenhillite (not approved by IMA)
  • Buergerite (renamed to fluor-buergerite)
  • Bursaite (not approved by IMA)
  • Bytownite (variety of anorthite)

C

thumb|Radiating spray of colorless wheatsheaf [[calcite crystals on matrix, from Iraí, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil]]

thumb|Rhombohedrons of [[calcite that appear almost as books of petals, piled up 3-dimensionally on the matrix, from Eastern Europe]]

thumb|Sky blue, prismatic crystals of [[Celestine (mineral)|celestine from Majunga, Madagascar ]]

thumb|Pocket cavity of small [[chrysocolla stalactites from Ray Mine, Scott Mountain area, Mineral Creek District, Arizona, USA]]

thumb|[[Cinnabar on dolomite]]

thumb|Cubic [[Cobaltite, Sudbury District, Ontario, Canada]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Campylite (variety of mimetite)
  • Carbonado (variety of diamond)
  • Carnelian (variety of quartz)
  • Cementite (synthetic cohenite)
  • Ceylonite (variety of spinel)
  • Chalcedony (cryptocrystalline variety of quartz and moganite)
  • Chiastolite (variety of andalusite)
  • Chlorastrolite (variety of pumpellyite-(Mg))
  • Chrysoprase (green nickel bearing chalcedony)
  • Chrysotile (group name - asbestiform serpentine)
  • Citrine (yellow variety of quartz)
  • Cleveite (variety of uraninite)
  • Clinochrysotile (polytype of chrysotile)
  • Coltan (short for minerals of the columbite group)
  • Cotterite (variety of quartz)
  • Crocidolite (asbestiform riebeckite)
  • Cymophane (variety of chrysoberyl)

D

thumb|The slightly misshapen octahedral shape of this rough [[diamond crystal in matrix is typical of the mineral]]

thumb|[[Dioptase from Tsumeb, Namibia ]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Delessite (magnesian chamosite)
  • Diallage (a junction between augite and diopside)

E

thumb|[[Emerald on quartz, from Carnaiba Mine, Pindobaçu, Campo Formoso ultramafic complex, Bahia, Brazil]]

thumb|Epidote crystals on matrix mined in Katsna Yama, Pervouralsk, [[Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Elsmoreite (pure hydrokenoelsmoreite)
  • Emerald (green gem variety of beryl)

F

thumb|Translucent [[Apophyllite-(KF)|fluorapophyllit-(K) crystal and stilbite, from Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India]]

thumb|Deep green isolated [[fluorite crystal showing cubic and octahedral faces, set upon a micaceous matrix]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Fassaite (variety of augite)
  • Ferrocolumbite (synonym of columbite-(Fe))
  • Ferrotantalite (synonym of tantalite-(Fe))
  • Fluorspar (synonym of fluorite)
  • Francolite (variety of fluorapatite)

G

thumb|[[Garnet]]

thumb|[[Gold vein stockwork in limonite, from Gold Flake Vein, Farncomb Hill, Breckenridge Mining District, Summit County, Colorado, USA]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Garnierite (a nickel ore)
  • Goshenite (colorless variety of beryl)

H

thumb|Brazilian [[trigonal crystal system|trigonal hematite crystals]]

thumb|upright=0.7|[[Heulandite and Celadonite, Aurangabad District, Maharashtra, India ]]

thumb|[[Hübnerite and quartz]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Hatchettite (a paraffin wax)
  • Heliodor (greenish-yellow variety of beryl)
  • Heliotrope (variety of chalcedony)
  • Hessonite (variety of grossular)
  • Hiddenite (variety of spodumene)
  • Hyalite (variety of opal)
  • Hyalophane (synonym of jaloallofane)
  • Hypersthene (synonym of enstatite or ferrosilite, or mid-way member of the enstatite–ferrosilite series) (not approved by IMA)

I

thumb|[[Inyoite from Monte Azul deposit, Sijes, Salta, Argentina]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Idocrase (synonym of vesuvianite)
  • Iolite (a gem-quality variety of cordierite)

J

thumb|Benitoite (blue), [[joaquinite-(Ce) (brown) and neptunite (dark red) on natrolite (white), from Dallas Gem Mine area, San Benito River headwaters area, New Idria District, Diablo Range, San Benito Co., California, USA ]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Jade (tough, green mineral either jadeite or nephrite amphibole)
  • Jasper (variety of quartz)
  • Jeffersonite (variety of augite)

K

thumb|[[Kainosite-(Y) from the Amphibolite quarry, Haslach, Black Forest, Baden-Württemberg, Germany]]

thumb|[[Kröhnkite from Cuquicamata Mine, Chuquicamata District, Calama, El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region, Chile]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Keilhauite (variety of titanite)
  • Kerolite (variety of talc)
  • Krantzite (natural resin)
  • Kunzite (variety of spodumene)

L

thumb|[[Langite from Alsace, France]]

thumb|[[Legrandite on limonite]]

thumb|[[Fluor-liddicoatite|Liddicoatite on quartz and feldspar]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Lapis lazuli is a metamorphic rock, used as a semi-precious stone
  • Larimar (blue variety of pectolite)
  • Lodestone (a synonym of magnetite)
  • Lublinite (variety of calcite)

M

thumb|[[Magnetite from Speen Ghar, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan ]]

thumb|[[Manganite from Ilfeld, Thuringia, Germany ]]

thumb|[[Mesolite at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA]]

thumb|[[Mimetite on limonite matrix]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Magnesia
  • Magnesiocummingtonite (magnesium-rich variety of cummingtonite)
  • Malacolite (synonym of diopside)
  • Manganocolumbite (synonym of columbite-(Mn))
  • Manganotantalite (synonym of tantalite-(Mn))
  • Mariposite (variety of phengite/muscovite)
  • Meerschaum (variety of sepiolite)
  • Melanite (variety of andradite)
  • Menilite (variety of opal)
  • Milky quartz (a cloudy white quartz)
  • Morganite (a pink beryl)

N

thumb|Needles of [[natrolite on deep pink inesite]]

thumb|[[Neptunite from California, USA ]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Nephrite (variety of tremolite/actinolite)
  • Niobite (synonym of columbite)
  • Niobite-tantalite (synonym of columbite-tantalite)

O

thumb|Boulder [[opal, Carisbrooke Station near Winton, Queensland, Australia]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Oligoclase (a mixture of albite and anorthite)
  • Onyx (a monochromatic banded variety of chalcedony)
  • Opal (a mineraloid. Colored variety used as a gemstone)
  • Opalite
  • Orthochrysotile (a polytype of chrysotile)

P

thumb|A native [[Platinum nugget from the Kondyor mine, Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. ]]

thumb|[[Pectolite from Paterson, Passaic County, New Jersey, USA]]

thumb|[[Phosphophyllite from Cerro de Potosí, Potosí Department, Bolivia]]

thumb|upright=0.8|[[Proustite from Chanarcillo, Copiapo Province, Chile ]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Parachrysotile (a polytype of chrysotile)
  • Pelagosite (variety of aragonite)
  • Pericline (variety of albite)
  • Peridot (gem-quality olivine)
  • Perlite (volcanic glass)
  • Phengite (variety of muscovite)
  • Pimelite
  • Pitchblende (a massive impure form of uraninite)
  • Plessite (mixture of kamacite and taenite)
  • Potassium alum or potash alum (as a mineral, is called alum-(K))

Q

thumb|[[Quartz]]

R

thumb|Crystals of cherry red [[ruby in matrix]]

thumb|[[Rock crystal]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Rashleighite (variety of turquoise)
  • Rhodolite (variety of pyrope)
  • Rock crystal (quartz)
  • Rose quartz (pink variety of quartz)
  • Ruby (red gem corundum)

S

thumb|Native silver on Acanthite, Imiter Mine, [[Ouarzazate Province, Morocco]]

thumb|Gypsum ([[Selenite (mineral)|selenite variety): Santa Eulalia District, Chihuahua, Mexico]]

thumb|[[Serandite clusters from Poudrette quarry, Mont Saint-Hilaire, Montérégie, Québec, Canada]]

thumb|Botryoidal balls of [[shattuckite, from Otjikotu, Kaokoveld, Kunene, Namibia]]

thumb|Ball of stepped [[stannite crystals flanked by splaying GEM quartzes and golden chalcopyrite at its upper edge, from Yaogangxian Mine, Yizhang County, Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, China]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Sapphire (gem corundum of any color except red, especially blue varieties)
  • Sard (a variety of chalcedony/quartz)
  • Satinspar (a variety of gypsum)
  • Selenite (a variety of gypsum)
  • Simetite (a variety of amber)
  • Smoky quartz (a brown or black variety of quartz)
  • Soda niter (synonym of nitratine)
  • Spectrolite (a variety of labradorite)
  • Spessartite (synonym of spessartine)
  • Sphene (synonym of titanite)
  • Stantienite (a variety of amber)
  • Sunstone (a variety of either oligoclase or orthoclase)

T

thumb|Crystal of [[titanite with adularia and minor clinochlore on matrix]]

thumb|Fluorite crystal sitting beside a glassy, dark green [[tourmaline crystal, which itself sits atop a green tourmaline of a lighter color. All sit on a bed of sparkly, bladed stark white albite]]

thumb|[[Turquoise from the Copper Cities Mine, near Miami, Arizona, USA]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Tanzanite (variety of zoisite)
  • Thulite (variety of zoisite)
  • Thuringite (variety of chamosite)
  • Tsavorite (gem variety of grossularite garnet)
  • Tiger's eye (chatoyant variety of quartz)

U

thumb|[[Uranophane, Musonoi Mine, Kolwezi, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of Congo. FOV: 6 mm]]

V

thumb|[[Vanadinite from the Mibladen Mining District, Morocco]]

W

thumb|Deep green balls of [[wavellite in exposed pocket, from Mauldin Mountain Quarries, Montgomery County, Arkansas, USA]]

X

thumb|Radial fibrous inesite and [[xonotlite from Northern Cape Province, South Africa]]

Y

thumb|[[Yugawaralite crystals in a sheltered vug, from Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Yttrocerite (variety of fluorite)
  • Yttrocolumbite (variety of columbite)

Z

thumb|[[Zeolite with heulandite on quartz]]

thumb|[[Zircon from Gilgit, Pakistan]]

:Varieties that are not valid species:

  • Zajacite-(Ce) (name changed to gagarinite-(Ce))
  • Zhonghuacerite-(Ce) (considered to be kukharenkoite-(Ce) or huanghoite-(Ce))
  • Zinalsite (synonym of fraipontite)

See also

  • List of minerals named after people
  • Timeline of the discovery and classification of minerals

References

  • Mineralatlas.eu - The mineralogical and geological database
  • Mindat.org – The Mineral Database
  • Gemdat.org – The Gemstone Database
  • Gemsociety.org - Gemstone Toxicity Table